The Why Not Theory

I’m a big believer in “why not” take the chance, because what do you have to lose? I hear from authors all the time who say that they were thinking of submitting to BookEnds but figured it might not be quite right for us. Well, why not? Obviously there are areas I’d advise you never to submit to us—poetry, children’s books, or screenplays—because frankly we know nothing about those genres. But if you think your book even remotely fits into a genre we represent and you want to submit, then do it. Throw out all of those other rules and blog posts and just do it. What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen? We send you a rejection that says we don’t do that and maybe suggest you do some research. What’s the best thing that can happen? You’ve hit an agent at a time when her interests are changing or broadening, or she has a secret love for just what you are writing. Or maybe you’ll just grab her with something new and different, but something she can’t put down.

A Why Not is how I came into fantasy. It was never a genre I saw myself representing or reading, but after offering representation to an author for a book that crossed the line between fantasy and romance, I discovered it was a genre I really wanted to be involved in, and now regularly seek and read.

And for those of you who are published, the same holds true of your editors. If you’re unsure, just say “why not?” It’s the why nots of the world that become what everyone else wants to be.

One word of caution to an excellent post… the risk of “Why not” is far greater for the writer than it is for the agent.

Some cyber-space writer friends of mine have been burned by signing with agents that didn’t “really” know much about the YA market, but thought “Why not?” and offered to represent a few titles. They signed those YA writers, thinking the market was hot (it is) only to have their books not sell, not be pitched to even the correct type of publisher (Edgy vs. Literary) or even a second round of submissions being sent out.

“Why not,” may work very well for the agent (looking to branch out) but they still have all their bread and butter clients if it doesn’t work out. Writer’s end up with no agent and a book that while not shopped WELL, has still been “shopped.”

Besides, this is another example of conflicting advice confusing the heck outta me. Half the time I don’t know if I’m coming or going in Queryland, trying my best to accomadate the myriad of preferences of agents and editors. And just when I think I know what’s going on, an agent or editor will advise the exact opposite. At times, I just want to throw up my hands and say, “This is nuts,” and go self-publish instead.

In an industry that has so many rules – of which many of us bend in the name of creative license – one of the one biggest rules is, don’t query the wrong agent.Do your research, learn what they like.

Mt guess is that most agents just love good writing, obviously within the areas they agent, but still good writing is the key.

I like knowing agents haven’t become robotic. I want to know my agent doesn’t pass my book through a formula checker to see if it fits. I want to know that they read it as a reader first, then take on the challenge of refining.And are actively looking for someone who wants to do something ‘new’.

kimber an–I believe that if you are yourself, you follow what YOU think works, then you’ll find the right representation. I don’t mean run roughshod all over submission guidelines, but you won’t want to work with someone you don’t agree with anyway. Send the best you’ve got to every agent with an inkling of interest in your genre. And good luck!!

I also agree with Anon 9:48, but my first thought after reading your post is that a lot of writers won’t take a “why not” chance because they’re afraid that, despite putting hours of research into the agents they’re querying, they’ll inadvertently break some rule/guideline and shoot themselves in the foot forever. Glad to see someone encouraging us to take that chance though!

I can tell you ‘why not.’ I most write fantasy, and currently have an adult fantasy novel to sell. So why not indeed. The thing I am working on, however, is YA fantasy, and I do have a science fiction idea in the queue (admittedly, somewhere way later).

Would it be a good idea to submit to an agent who does not represent half the things I write/want to write?

In the end, I think it comes down to trust – it’s great for an agent to be enthusiastic about a new genre and willing to learn about it – but do they understand the ideosynchrasies of that particularly genre? Are they widely read? Do they know the editors who are buying and do they know what those editors are looking for? Just because an agent has a good track record in one genre does not mean they’re automatically a good agent for a different genre, and especially as a fan of speculative fiction I have come across a number of people whose understanding of fantasy is limited to the urban fantasy/paranormal romance spectrum; querying such an agent seems like a waste of their time and mine.

And while I am overjoyed that you are now accepting fantasy, could you please update your submissions page to reflect that?

Breaking rules is great! Sometimes.I like everyone else’s comments and don’t have too much to add.Interesting post 🙂Oh, but even if a book was shopped to “wrong” editors, couldn’t it still be shopped to the right editors?Just wondering.

Not sure I agree with your definition of the worst thing that could happen. For me the worst thing is sending something and not getting any response at all. Does that mean i’m not even worth of a ‘no’? (Includes your agency by the way)

I can hear hundreds of agents cringing at the thought of this. Onslaughts of queries because the sender thought, “why not?” will be pouring in in no time.

I have had terse replies from agents I “why not”-ed. I don’t think this is good across the board advice.

Research the agent – read their blogs if they have them, then you can see who might be a little more open to your sci-fi-cooking-cozy-romance novel. You can learn a lot about an agent’s personality and out-of-the-box thinking potential by reading any interview, blog, article, forum that they’ve put their thoughts on.

Would have given this a “bah!” and moved along, but had a recent experience which lends more credence to the notion. Accidentally submitted (a short story) to a place that doesn’t accept my sub-genre, but came to find out that rather than rejecting it outright, one of the editorial team liked it a lot.

Go figure…

Don’t think I’m up to going against submission guidelines on purpose though…even if it could be a “why not” moment.

Re: “Couldn’t it be shopped to the right editors after it was shopped to the wrong ones?”

See, here’s where it all gets sticky and why I think “Why not” isn’t good advice. When the “Why not” agent has exhausted the five or six editors they have relationships with that might buy that “Why not” novel, they lose steam for the project all together.

They don’t know the market well enough to name editors off their head who might love it. They start shooting it off to editors at random — sending to houses only to find that YA editor left for a different company three months prior, sending to editors that do contemporary, not fantasy, ect… And having no pull, no reputation in that arena they’re trying to sell in makes for a tough sale for even the best of books.

These clients also often get dumped after no sale comes through, as well. And no “other” agent wants an already “shopped” book. It simply doens’t happen.

I think the qualifier here may be do as much research into an agent as you can and THEN say “why not?” We can’t (I wish!) step inside an agent’s mind before querying them, so there’s always a risk. But I know, if I don’t take those risks, I can be SURE nobody will represent my book. If I do take the risk, at least I’m giving myself that chance.

I take the post to mean if you have something that is straddling the fence of what the agency normally likes, there is no harm in still querying. It’s obvious if they state no YA that you wouldn’t submit a query about a YA novel.Your story, or your voice, may be the one to change their mind if the manuscript is fairly close to what they like. And you’ve got nothing to lose. So, take the risk. It’s just a query, and by email. You don’t even have to lick a stamp.

I can relate to what Aston West said. I know we’re talking about “why nots” with agents on this blog, but it’s also true with editors at magazine and book publishers.

I was recently in a critique workshop with a St. Martin’s editor who’s not one bit interested in fantasy, but I chose her group because I wanted professional feedback on an unfinished project. She really liked my steampunk urban fantasy sample enough to request the full manuscript. So you just never know what will hook an editor, or an agent, who normally doesn’t care for the genre you write. There could be “something” there that trips a trigger.

At the same time, as far as agents go, I completely get the concern many have expressed. That’s really true. It’s risky. So it’s up to you whether or not to take that risk. Wow, tarot cards anyone? Rune stones? How about tea leaves? You just need to decide how much of a risk you’re willing to take.

I’m also taking this advice as not going hog wild with submissions, but to take a risk. Jessica isn’t the only one who has said this. I was on Nathan’s blog earlier and he said *paraphrased* “A good book is a good book.”

People are more willing to put their necks out on a good book that’s different, than the same ol’ variety that’s bad.

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